RALEIGH, N.C. -- It's not often that you can add a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman to your lineup nearly a month after the NHL's trade deadline but that, in essence, is what the Penguins received Tuesday night against the Hurricanes.
After an 11-game absence, Kris Letang was back. The veteran skated with regular defense partner Brian Dumoulin and quarterbacked the second power play unit in a 3-2 shootout loss that he figured prominently in.
Make no mistake, before going down with an upper-body injury 24 days ago in the Stadium Series game in Philadelphia, Letang had been playing at a Norris-like level with 38 points in 53 games. Though the injury and missed games likely take him out of the running for the one piece of individual hardware that has eluded him in his career, Letang is still seventh in points and tied for second in goals (15) by a defenseman.
"I felt I hit my stride early in the season and was building on it, everything was going well, and it was kind of a fluke kind of thing," Letang was saying Tuesday morning. "To go back out there is going to be fun. It's been a long time."
And, yes, it did take Letang longer to get back then he anticipated after he resumed practicing on Feb. 5. But, no, this is not the spring of 2017. Letang says his return was held up by illness and, simply, a lack of practice time. He is good to go:
"There's so many components," Letang said when I'd asked if there was any setbacks along the way. "The calendar didn't allow me to get a lot done. I got sick in between. It took a little bit longer, but there was no timeframe on this. Just a question of being comfortable."
Letang's return could be a game-changer for a defense that has played well in his absence. Over the past 11 games, the Penguins have gone 7-2-2 and averaged 2.28 goals-against per game, well below their season average of 2.99. But when you can bring back a player that averages 25:55 of ice time per game -- fourth among all players -- you don't ask questions.
"Our 'D' has done a terrific job, but he's an impact player. He's an elite player," Mike Sullivan said. "He plays in so many situations for us. We're certainly a better team when he's in our lineup."
The Penguins, were again without Evgeni Malkin, Zach Aston-Reese and Chad Ruhwedel, but they did get some welcome news on the injury front Tuesday when Olli Maatta took the ice with his teammates -- albeit in a non-contact jersey -- for the first time since going out with an upper-body injury 17 games ago. That Maatta feels well enough to make the trip is "encouraging," according to Sullivan. This comes after Bryan Rust returned to the lineup Sunday against the Flyers.
"It's definitely nice to see guys come back from injury, and try and help this team win," said Rust, who reported he is feeling good after playing 18:54 vs. the Flyers on Sunday.
BRADFORD'S VIEW
One area where Letang can certainly help is on the power play, whether he's on the first unit or the second. That's particularly true against Carolina's sixth-ranked penalty kill, which has killed off 91 percent of opponents' power plays the past 19 games.
The Penguins have the NHL's fifth-ranked power play at 25.2 percent but have been wildly inconsistent, going 0-for-8 the last two games, after going 5-for-8 the two games before that.
During Tuesday's skate, the first unit had Sidney Crosby with Jake Guentzel, Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel and Schultz sharing reps with Letang. The second unit had Nick Bjugstad with Dominik Simon, Jared McCann, Marcus Pettersson and Letang.
"Whether it's Schultzie or Tanger, we just got to get the job done as a unit," Crosby was telling me. "Tanger's, obviously, a big part of our team. Helps on the power play, helps on the PK, 5-on-5. He works everywhere but, specifically, to the power play, it's not ever about one guy. Having him there will be great, but it comes down to us working together."
All of which Crosby said is true, but if you saw Sunday's dismal 0-for-4 against the Flyers, clearly this group use Letang's help.
With Letang coming back, Zach Trotman will be the odd-man out for the first time since being recalled from Wilkes-Barre. Though he registered just one assist to go along with a plus-3 rating in 11 games, the Penguins owe the 28-year-old a debt of gratitude. A fairly compelling argument could be made that they played their best defense with Trotman in the lineup.
Whether he appears in another game is still to be determined, but Trotman showed he can play at this level after being out of the league for nearly two years. Hopefully, Trotman -- an unrestricted free agent at season's end -- can cash in on this experience.
• The lines and pairs Tuesday:
McCann-Crosby-Guentzel
Rust-Blueger-Kessel
Simon-Bjugstad-Hornqvist
Wilson-Cullen-Blandisi
Dumoulin-Letang
Johnson-Schultz
Pettersson-Gudbranson
(Maatta-Riikola)
• No, Crosby doesn't have any opinion on the Hurricanes' "Storm Surge," Carolina's choreographed, post-game victory celebrations (as long as it's not tonight, of course). Doesn't even think the Hurricanes are a "bunch of jerks" for doing it. "Whatever teams want to do, whatever works for them," he said. "Everywhere is different. Some teams salute the crowd, some teams don't. They have their own way to do it. I don't really have an opinion either way."
• The key to victory tonight? Same as always for both teams, it's to lead after two periods. Despite recent late collapses against the Flyers and Sabres, the Penguins are 32-0-3 when leading after 40 minutes. The Hurricanes are 29-1-2.
• Jordan Staal recorded his 500th career point in the Hurricanes' last game, a 4-2 win over the Sabres on Saturday. Staal, who missed 32 games earlier this season with a concussion, has been remarkably consistent in his career, even after leaving Pittsburgh in 2012. In 451 games with Carolina, he's averaged 0.56 points per game. In 431 games with the Penguins, he averaged 0.58.
• Matt Murray will make his third straight start. He is 1-1 this season vs. the Hurricanes with a .957 save percentage and 1.51 GAA.
• The Hurricanes held an extremely optional skate at PNC Arena after having a full practice Monday. Only two players took the ice, including Calvin De Haan. The defenseman was wearing the bird cage as he looks to come back from a scary eye injury March 11 in Colorado.
• Rod Brind'Amour's Hurricanes used the following lines and pairs Monday in practice:
Niederreiter-Aho-Williams
Svechnikov-Staal-Teravainen
Ferland-Wallmark-Martinook
McGinn-McKegg-Maenalanen
Slavin-Hamilton
Pesce-Faulk
Fleury-van Riemsdyk
